Lysenkoism gained favour in the Soviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s, replacing mendelian genetics. Opponents of Lysenko were dismissed from their jobs, imprisoned and, not infrequently, died. After World War II in some of the East European Soviet satellite states, Lysenkoism became the official genetics supported by the communist authorities, and thus, genetics and biology were set back many years. Yet the uptake of Lysenkoism was not uniform in the Eastern Bloc. The former East Germany (GDR) mostly escaped its influence, owing to the contribution of a few brave individuals and the fact that the country had an open border with the West (West Berlin).